Regional (or not) Foods we should know


 

Steve Petrone

TVWBB Diamond Member
Allen: Cut Italian Green Beans, best canned beans I've had
McCormick: Beef and Chicken Base, good value
Three Rivers: Cornbread mix
Mayfields: Buttermilk, this is The taste I associate with buttermilk, nothing else has the pop of flavor this has, best used with the mix above

What are some you buy we may not know about?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">What are some you buy we may not know about? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Cento tuna packed in olive oil.
 
Scrapple. Best offal you've ever had (even if you've never had any offal). I made it for my friend without telling him what was in it. After he ate it I told him. "I don't care what's in it, it's awesome!"

Also, Lebanon Bologna. Kinda liked a smokey and sweet salami.

Good luck finding Scrapple outside of MD, DE, and PA. I don't know how widespread Lebanon Bologna is, but it originated in Lebanon, PA.
 
Steve, I agree with you on the Allen Italian beans.

Classico Pesto; a very inexpensive brand when you don't have time/ingredients to make it yourself.

6 in 1 tomato products.
 
Blue Runner New Orleans/Creole Style Red Beans

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Lucius:
Scrapple. Best offal you've ever had (even if you've never had any offal). I made it for my friend without telling him what was in it. After he ate it I told him. "I don't care what's in it, it's awesome!"

Also, Lebanon Bologna. Kinda liked a smokey and sweet salami.

Good luck finding Scrapple outside of MD, DE, and PA. I don't know how widespread Lebanon Bologna is, but it originated in Lebanon, PA. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I'm little cornfussed here. I'm one state above you and we have some great scrapple here, but the Lebanon Bologna you can have. What brand scrapple do you buy? Because all scrapple is not created equal.
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There are some mighty good ones and others I would not feed to a animal.
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i.e. Bacon. There is great bacon and bad bacon.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JimH:
Blue Runner New Orleans/Creole Style Red Beans

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</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I have them in my cupboard, and they ROCK! Love the creamed beans.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bryan S:
I have them in my cupboard, and they ROCK! Love the creamed beans.
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They are hard to find here, not every store carries them.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bryan S:
I'm little cornfussed here. I'm one state above you and we have some great scrapple here, but the Lebanon Bologna you can have. What brand scrapple do you buy? Because all scrapple is not created equal.
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There are some mighty good ones and others I would not feed to a animal.
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i.e. Bacon. There is great bacon and bad bacon. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Only Rapa. I can't recall off the top of my head seeing any other brand around here.
 
Lo and behold, I saw Scrapple on a grocery shelf here in Eastern NC this week. What a surprise. I would not have even noticed it if I had not been reading this thread.

On another note - we seem to forget that grits are a traditional southern dish. My wife (originally from PA) had never had grits until we moved here, and she absolutely loves them.

Ray
 
And with grits (and pork of course--I use ribs, butt or blade) you can just make your own scrapple.
 
I looked into making scrapple, if I had the time I'd try it. I grew up on Habbersett scrapple, here I'm reduced to Jones scrapple - but what the heck I lived here 28 years without even Jones, so it's good enough.
 
Surprised to see so many able to get Scrapple.

I couldn't even get it in central VA when I was in college.
 
I've gotten scrapple in many places around the country. Outside of its region it can often be found in the freezer case rather than out in the chilled food case. If available, it's often on just a small section of an out-of-the-way shelf.

Scrapple does take a little time to make but a good portion of it is unattended simmering. If interested, my approach follows.


SCRAPPLE

3 lbs spareribs, cut into 3-4 pieces*

about 3.5 c homemade beef stock**

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped very finely

1 t salt

black peppercorns

white peppercorns

ground black and/or white pepper

whole coriander

ground coriander

2 bay leaves

a couple or three parsley sprigs (if available)

1 t dried thyme, divided

1 t rubbed sage, divided

2 c water

2.5 c cornmeal

flour

shortening

Cook spareribs in stock in which the onion, salt, several of each type of peppercorns (about 8 each), whole coriander (about 8), parsley sprigs, 3/4 t of the thyme, 3/4 t of the sage, and bay leaves have been added. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Simmer gently for 2.5-3 hours.

Remove meat and bones from broth and strain broth. Put broth in large pot. Pull meat from bone and gristle. Pulse meat in food processor or chop finely with knife. Return meat to broth and bring to a boil.

Slowly add water to cornmeal while stirring. Add some of the hot broth as well. Pour cornmeal mixture into boiling broth, add the remain 1/4 teaspoons of sage and thyme, and a pinch of ground coriander, and cook until very thick (about 10 minutes). (Taste as it is thickening; adjust salt and pepper if desired.) Scoop into 2 oiled loaf pans, 9X5X3 inches. Allow to cool the chill well in the fridge.

When cold, remove from pans (go around the outsides of the loaves with a thin knife first), cut into 1/2-inch slices and lightly coat with flour before frying. Fry in very little shortening until outside is very brown and crisp.

*I don't always use spareribs. I don't use offal. Butt or blade end loin work well too. The weight is approximate but you want bone in there.

**Homemade beef stock is best but canned works fine. For canned, use a mix of two parts low-salt chicken stock and one part beef for better results than all beef (100% canned beef can taste 'off'). Or, simpler, use 1 14oz can of low-salt chicken, 1 14oz of beef.


Note: If you've made polenta for grilling before, that;s the consistency I look for before cooling.

A tasty option: Add two or three seeded and stemmed and toasted dried chilies to the stock (hot or mild or both). When completely soft, remove, cool, peel off skin, mash well, then mix back into the stock after it's strained. Add a pinch of cumin to the mush while it cooks.
 
Love scrapple. Stroh's I prefer if it's store bought. Although have to say I prefer to pick it up from local suppliers out of Lancaster that make it themselves rather than buy the pre-packaged from the big producers. Bryan knows what I'm talking about. Available at the local farmers markets, especially those coming out of Lancaster.

Might as well add liverwust and liver pudding to the list. Again - I prefer the wurst from the local suppliers rather than the commercial stuff. Figured I'd get funky since we're talking scrapple
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And BTW - there's two kind of Lebanon bologna. sweet style and sour style.
 
Didn't know about the two kinds of Lebanon bologna. It's always just called "Lebanon Bologna" around here, and it's always the sweet kind.
 
Thanks Kevin, I'll give that a try when I get the time. One of the reasons I haven't done it is that I couldn't find all the different odd bits that were called for in the recipe.


Liverwurst, grew-up eating that too. How about sauerkraut? Sauerkraut & pork was always a good cold weather meal.
 

 

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